PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Every species\' brain, body and behavior is shaped by the contingencies of their evolutionary history; these exert pressures that change their developmental trajectories. There is, however, another set of contingencies that shape us and other animals: those that occur during a lifetime. In this perspective piece, we show how these two histories are intertwined by focusing on the individual. We suggest that organisms--their brains and behaviors--are not solely the developmental products of genes and neural circuitry but individual centers of action unfolding in time. To unpack this idea, we first emphasize the importance of variation and the central role of the individual in biology. We then go over \"errors in time\" that we often make when comparing development across species. Next, we reveal how an individual\'s development is a process rather than a product by presenting a set of case studies. These show developmental trajectories as emerging in the contexts of the \"the actual now\" and \"the presence of the past\". Our consideration reveals that individuals are slippery-they are never static; they are a set of on-going, creative activities. In light of this, it seems that taking individual development seriously is essential if we aspire to make meaningful comparisons of neural circuits and behavior within and across species.
摘要：
每个物种的大脑，身体和行为是由他们的进化历史的偶然性所塑造的；这些施加的压力改变了他们的发展轨迹。有,然而,另一套塑造我们和其他动物的偶然性：那些在一生中发生的偶然性。在这篇透视作品中，我们通过关注个人来展示这两个历史是如何交织在一起的。我们认为，有机体——他们的大脑和行为——不仅仅是基因和神经回路的发育产物，而是个体的行动中心随着时间的推移而展开。解开这个想法，我们首先强调变异的重要性和个体在生物学中的核心作用。然后，我们在比较物种发展时经常犯的“时间错误”。接下来,我们揭示了如何一个人的发展是一个过程，而不是一个产品，通过提供一组案例研究。这些显示了在“实际的现在”和“过去的存在”的背景下出现的发展轨迹。我们的考虑表明，个人是滑溜的——他们从来不是静止的；他们是一组持续的，创造性活动。鉴于此,如果我们渴望对物种内部和物种之间的神经回路和行为进行有意义的比较，那么认真对待个体发展似乎是至关重要的。
